Chapter 132 - 126: Bye, Surrender
"Damn... How is he so strong? Even Senior Sister Sun lost to him."
"Holy crap. Don’t tell me this Yu Changsheng actually has a shot at winning the whole thing?"
"You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you think Senior Sister Sun is pissed? Seriously, he could have gone a little easier on her..."
After his last fight, the crowd had a better understanding of Yu Changsheng’s power. They were still amazed, but it wasn’t a complete shock.
"At this point, it looks like only Senior Brother Miao can definitively keep him in check. How long has that kid even been in the Outer Sect? What gives him the right...?"
Others sighed, comparing themselves to him and feeling utterly discouraged.
On the viewing platform, Elder Chen watched Yu Changsheng, his expression tinged with surprise.
’That kid... He even broke through that girl Shi Han’s Colorful Wing Butterfly combination technique. It seems his Divine Sense has probably reached the Foundation Establishment level; otherwise, he couldn’t have won so easily.’
’I thought the only one who could match Shi Han was Miao Wenlun. I never expected Yu Changsheng to come out of nowhere. Well, no matter. Barring any accidents, it won’t be long before he enters the Inner Sect. He and Shi Han will likely cross paths again then. I’ll just have to observe him more...’
The reason Elder Chen was paying extra attention was a little-known fact: Sun Shihan had long been his disciple. This trial was merely a training exercise for her before her promotion to the Inner Sect.
Naturally, Elder Chen knew his disciple’s strength better than anyone.
Before long, the duels on the other platforms also concluded. To Yu Changsheng’s mild surprise, Mu Zeyu had won his match as well.
Thus, the top nine were decided.
The third round of the competition would begin the next day.
Elder Chen then announced, "I will now read the list of those who have advanced. They are: Yu Changsheng, Mu Zeyu, Miao Wenlun..."
After finishing the list, Elder Chen also took the opportunity to announce the details for the next day’s matches.
"The matches tomorrow will be simple as well. They will still be one-on-one Beast Taming duels. However, this time, we are lifting the restriction that forbids Beast Masters from personally intervening. You will be allowed to use methods beyond just your Spirit Beasts. The purpose of this is to evaluate your overall combat ability. This is a warning to all of you: while you focus on Beast Taming, do not forget to strengthen yourselves. Only through well-rounded development can you go far on the path of cultivation."
This announcement was met with mixed reactions; some were delighted, while others were dismayed.
For those who relied on powerful Spirit Beasts to compensate for their lackluster personal Cultivation, this was clearly bad news. Conversely, it was a welcome development for Beast Masters whose personal Cultivation was decent, even if their Spirit Beasts were slightly weaker.
Upon hearing this, Mu Zeyu’s face fell. He looked miserable as he spoke to Yu Changsheng.
"Isn’t this a death sentence for me? The difficulty just skyrocketed. If my opponent decides to just target me directly, what am I supposed to do?"
Mu Zeyu’s two Spirit Pets, a Tier One Eighth Layer Hidden Heart Fox and a Tier One Seventh Layer Snow Leopard Beast, were both quite impressive Spirit Beasts.
It was this advantage that had carried him this far. However, his personal Cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, which was undoubtedly a fatal weakness.
Yu Changsheng waved his hand and could only reply with the helpless truth.
"There’s nothing to be done. The rule is perfectly reasonable. After all, in a true life-or-death crisis, you use every tool at your disposal. A Cultivator’s overall strength is what truly matters."
’Actually, this new rule is good for me,’ Yu Changsheng thought. ’I’ll inevitably have to face Miao Wenlun later. He’s the only one here with a Tier Two Spirit Pet; he’d crush anyone he fights.’
’But now that the restrictions are lifted, I can use my other skills. The outcome is no longer a foregone conclusion.’
"You’re right. Looks like I’ll have to focus on raising my Cultivation level. I’m already prepared to just surrender."
Mu Zeyu sighed softly, but he didn’t seem too bothered by it.
"Just do your best," was all Yu Changsheng could say to console him.
...
From the viewing platform, Elder Chen glanced discreetly in Yu Changsheng’s direction before continuing.
"Now then, since there are nine contestants, for the sake of convenience, one person will receive a bye. A moment ago, we held a drawing to determine who would receive it..."
After a brief pause, Elder Chen, his expression unchanging, announced slowly,
"Yu Changsheng receives the bye!"
At this announcement, not only were the disciples below stunned, but even the two Elders beside Elder Chen were taken aback. They exchanged a look but remained silent, communicating via Divine Thought instead.
’When did this drawing happen? How come we didn’t know about it? You old coot, if you wanted to just give Yu Changsheng the bye, you should have just said so. Didn’t he just defeat your disciple? Why are you giving him such an easy pass?’
The two Elders were baffled. They couldn’t fathom Elder Chen’s reasoning, but they didn’t voice their objections. In the end, someone had to get a bye, so it didn’t really matter who it was.
The disciples in the crowd didn’t overthink it, simply concluding that Yu Changsheng was incredibly lucky.
"If he gets a bye, doesn’t that mean he goes straight to the semi-finals?"
"So lucky. Still, given the strength he’s shown, he probably would have advanced anyway as long as he didn’t have to face Miao Wenlun."
"I really want to see Senior Brother Miao put him in his place. Too bad we’ll have to wait now!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, but thankfully, Yu Changsheng had proven his strength with his performance in the last two matches, so no one was foolish enough to question the decision publicly.
"Changsheng, this is great! You’re straight into the semi-finals. Congratulations!"
Mu Zeyu said, stunned and envious.
According to the competition rules, there were rewards just for making it to the semi-finals. Now, Yu Changsheng didn’t have to do anything else. Even if he forfeited his next match, he could still claim his prize.
Yu Changsheng was a little surprised himself, but he just gave a faint smile. "Just a stroke of luck. It’s not like it’ll happen again in the next round. It’s no big deal."
Fang Cai Feng, who had been quiet until now, chimed in ominously, "You never know. I mean... what if Old Mu here manages to advance and just so happens to draw you in the next round?"
Mu Zeyu shook his head with a wry smile. "Not a chance. My run ends here. Everyone left is in the top nine. Now that my Spirit Pet advantage is gone, there’s no way I’ll run into someone who scraped by even harder than I did."
Yu Changsheng thought for a moment before saying to Mu Zeyu, "You shouldn’t think that way. You’re plenty strong. With those two Spirit Pets, it wouldn’t matter if your opponent’s Cultivation was a little higher than yours."
"Maybe," Mu Zeyu replied noncommittally.
...
「Two days later, on the dueling platform.」
Mu Zeyu versus Yu Changsheng.
"I forfeit!"
Mu Zeyu gave a slight smile, winked at Yu Changsheng, and forfeited the match.
As it turned out, Fang Cai Feng’s prediction had come true. In his qualifying match for the semi-finals, Mu Zeyu had actually been matched against a fluke of a Cultivator who had gotten that far on pure luck, allowing him to advance.
Then, in the drawing for the next round, by sheer coincidence, he was pitted against Yu Changsheng.
Therefore, knowing he stood no chance of winning, Mu Zeyu didn’t hesitate to forfeit.
Yu Changsheng was left speechless.